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Watchmen Vol 1 4
Supporting Characters: * * * ** * * * Antagonists: * Other Characters: * ** ** ** ** * * ** * ** * Mr. Ostermann * * Professor Milton Glass Locations: * * * ** *** Karnak ** *** **** *** *** **** ***** ***** ****** ****** **** Rockefeller Military Research Center *** **** ** Items: * Concrete Block Fifteen * * Intrinsic Field Generator Vehicles: * |StoryTitle2 = Dr. Manhattan: Super-Powers and Superpowers |Synopsis2 = In his book Doctor Manhattan, Super Powers and the Superpowers, Professor Milton Glass, the director of Gila Flats and sponsor of Dr. Manhattan, discuss his misgivings of Dr. Manhattan. Prof. Glass dispel the myth that he was the one who came up with the popular phrase "The superman exists and he's American" that described Manhattan in his public appearance by the American media. He instead said the chilling quote "God exist and he's American." Glass states that the god-like Manhattan proved valuable as a pawn for the United States, in which his powers would allow him in defending the country from Soviet retaliation with ease and arguably forcing the Soviets to never risk a full-scale global conflict. Despite Manhattan's presence which have curbed Soviet adventurism, this does not spell global peace but only to exacerbate the Cold War. To understand the mindset of the Soviet Union, Glass looks to the Russians' contributions in the Second World War and conclude that the Soviets would do anything to protect their nation from threats such as Manhattan no matter what the cost. This is supported by the sharp increase of Soviet and American nuclear stockpiles since the advent of Manhattan and making the possibility of Mutually Assured Destruction. Unfortunately, the Nixon administration does not share Prof. Glass' concerns and have become intoxicated with having a superhuman being to continually promote American interests unopposed. Aside from affecting the international sense, Manhattan had also changed the domestic sense in which he contributed advanced technology such as electric cars and clean, economical airships. Thus, human culture have contort itself to accommodate Manhattan. Glass conclude that "We are all of us living in the shadow of Manhattan." |Appearing2 = Featured Characters: * * Professor Milton Glass | Notes = *Albert Einstein's quote at the end of the issue refers to quantum mechanics: "The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking... The solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker." Quantum mechanics destroyed any view of our universe as deterministic, and Einstein didn't care for the resulting uncertainty. This is particularly ironic, since Dr. Manhattan's time sense suggests that his universe is indeed deterministic. *The title of this issue, "Watchmaker," refers to the famous "argument from design," stating that the universe is a complex creation that must have a creator. The metaphor was first proposed by William Paley in his work Natural Theology; his example was that of finding a watch somewhere, and that its complexity implied a matchmaker. This term has come to symbolize an intelligent creator, and thus is particularly appropriate to Dr. Manhattan, as he is "The Judge of All the Earth." | Trivia = *Manhattan's comments on , which was actually sailing through the sky in 1986, may refer to how comets were seen as bad omens. This would be yet another symbol of the approaching "end of days" within Watchmen. *Professor Glass is seen having a in his pocket (4:4:1). *The fat man that steps on Janey's watch and breaks it is symbolic of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, which was nicknamed " ." This is the pivotal experience that results in the creation of Dr. Manhattan. *The image of the cracked watchface and the time at which it stopped (4:6:9) is mirrored later in this issue by a watchface used as a cover image of Time magazine for a remembrance of the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. These watches represent the death of innocence (represented by Jon Osterman and by our world prior to the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan) and the birth of a nuclear age (represented by Dr. Manhattan and the use of atomic bombs on Japan by the United States in the real world). This broken watch is the final catalyst that forces Jon onto his path of godhood. *The name of Moloch's crime den is "Dante's". This is a reference to the Italian author best known for the , which included a trip to Hell. *The painting that Dr. Manhattan is studying is " " by Salvador Dali (4:16:3). *During Manhattan's meeting with President Nixon, Manhattan recalls John F. Kennedy "avoiding any mention of Cuba." in 1961. This refers to the failed U.S.-sponsored invasion of the which failed to overthrow Fidel Castro and his government in 1961, and became an international embarrassment for U.S. foreign policy in which Kennedy was willing to accept responsibility for the invasion's failure. *During Manhattan's and Laurie's visit to Adrian Veidt's Antarctic retreat, Veidt mentions one of Manhattan's technological achievement for making fast and safe airships; hence why airships are commonly seen in the world of Watchmen while in the real-world passenger-carrying rigid airships had been declining because of being potentially hazardous, such as the ''Hindenburg'' disaster in 1937. *The Iranian hostage situation occurred when student militants seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979. Apparently the situation was solved much more quickly in the world of Watchmen. * In real life, Time magazine did in fact commemorate the bombing of Hiroshima with a special issue, dated 29 July 1985. However, the issue's cover featured a mushroom cloud, not a broken watch. *The cover of Dr. Manhattan: Super-Powers and Superpowers references Leonardo da Vinci's . | Recommended = | Links = }}